


mocha is better than boba

by MyDestinyIsWritten



Series: Zukka Week 2021 [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Coffee Shops, F/M, M/M, Miscommunication, Zukka Week 2021, also known as dumb idiot boys who don't know how to talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-27 15:42:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30125076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyDestinyIsWritten/pseuds/MyDestinyIsWritten
Summary: There's a dance coming up and Sokka wants to go with his co-worker at the coffee shop, Zuko, but it's not him who ends up asking.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Katara & Sokka (Avatar), Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Zukka Week 2021 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2213652
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	mocha is better than boba

**Author's Note:**

> Day 3 of Zukka Week, day 3, tea or coffee shop

Sokka had only been working here for two weeks. By here, he means  _ The Jasmine Dragon _ . It was a cafe near his college and the second they’d put up the hiring sign, Katara had texted him a picture. He’d been looking to get a job convenient with his school hours and the manager had been really nice and told him he could adjust his hours as much as he needed for what was convenient.

The first day he’d come in, there was another person working there who’d shown him how to work everything, he said he’d been working there for almost a year. His name was Zuko, apparently, his uncle owned the place and he worked mostly on weekends but sometimes on weekdays.

Sokka had faint memories of seeing him around campus a couple times, but they didn’t share any classes.

Working together in a warm cafe in the early mornings surrounded by cappuccinos must have been a pretty good way to become friends because it was something to look forward to now. Just thinking about Zuko and coffee somehow helped him make it through the hour-long lectures throughout the day. 

Even that one time Sokka had managed to spill an entire frappuccino on Zuko because he turned the knob the wrong way, he’d looked forward to coming in. Sure, just thinking about it had turned his face an embarrassing shade of red but Zuko had laughed it off and repeatedly told him it’s alright in reply to his string of apologies and after a few weeks, it was something one of them would bring up spontaneously to get the other laughing.

The thing is, as amazing as Zuko was as a friend Sokka had realized his heart started jumping every time their hands brushed, passing each other cups and sugar packets.

And Sokka didn’t view himself as shy or timid, actually it was the opposite. He was the guy who was known in high school for asking a girl to prom with confetti and tulips, that was very brave of him. Especially since Suki had been one of the most popular girls in school who every person envied, and he hadn’t even known her that long so when he’d asked her, to say everyone was surprised when she said yes was an understatement. Yeah, everyone had been shell-shocked.

But that’s not the point. The point is that for whatever reason, Sokka couldn’t work up enough nerve to ask Zuko to the dance that was coming up in a month. 

Maybe because everytime Zuko smiled and laughed with a customer, Sokka was forced to look away and calm his fiery cheeks.

or that they talked a lot before the place got busy and packed with kids doing their homework, but Sokka didn’t really know too much about Zuko’s school life.

Sokka looked into it - as stalker-ish as it was - and managed to get a copy of Zuko’s classes. They were all the way on the other side of the campus, at least a 15 minute walk away from where he normally was.

The topic of romantic partners had come up once but it had been steamrolled right over and Sokka still had no idea if he was with anybody, which would make things very awkward if -  _ when  _ \- he asked.

Or Zuko doesn’t like him like that and then they’d be stepping on eggshells every second they’re around each other.

Neither of those sound good.

But Sokka’s been doing research (sort of) and Zuko’s eyes seem to light up whenever he clambers in through the back door and if the blush dusting his cheek that time they both tripped over spilled water and landed in top of each other said anything, Zuko might like him back.

Right now, Sokka was sitting at his counter in the dorm him and Katara shared, trying to think of a way to find out if Zuko was involved with someone and if not, how to ask him to the dance.

Originally, he wasn’t going to go but Katara had persuaded him to come, even without a date. 

Katara was going to go with Aang, they’d been dating since 7th grade and they were so cheesy but once Sokka gave him the shovel talk(the poor boy had been terrified), he was pretty cool and they’d become friends. Toph had joined the group in 8th grade, along with Suki, but Suki had gotten a scholarship to study abroad. Sokka would call her occasionally and their friendship was never awkward after they broke up, they were still best friends, it was just a lot harder to communicate with her now.

Toph had said she might come, but with her strict parents, she’d probably have to sneak out.

Katara walked into the kitchen and reached for Sokka’s poptarts, he didn’t acknowledge it.

He was too busy thinking and, for once, was too distracted to let his sibling intuition kick in and snatch it back. 

She looked at him, nose wrinkling lightly at his not-reaction, “I’m guessing you don’t want this”

Sokka looked up at her before standing up and slinging his backpack over his shoulder, “Nope”

He probably should’ve grabbed it out of her hands, because then she got that look in her eyes. The look where she was analyzing every little detail about him and prying into his life with an iron grip, who knows, maybe she was even scoping through his memories. Sokka wouldn’t know, he used to tell Katara she was adopted and she was really an alien, but now it seemed more believable.

In a rush to get out the door Sokka tripped over his untied shoelaces and Katara managed to get in front of him and block the door.

“What’re you doing?”, her eyes narrowed.

Getting up and dusting himself off, he replied, “Getting to class”

“No, you’re not”

Damn Katara for being the smart one.

“You’re hiding something,” she declared with an air of finality.

“I’m not”

“You are, what is it?” she questioned, crossing her arms.

“I’m gonna be late, Katara”

“You’re always late”

“Am not, I haven’t been late in the past week-”

“Is it your job at the cafe?”

Sokka looked away too quickly and wild amusement grew in her eyes.

“What is it? Or  _ who _ is it? Did you meet someone?”, her grin is too crazy to be sane.

“Nope, no one”, he pushes past her and runs out.

He walks into work after school to see Katara leaning against the front counter, talking to Zuko.

_ Uh oh _ .

Zuko smiles and waves him over when he sees him but all Sokka can focus on as he walks over is Katara’s mischievous smirk.

He hopes she never gets to savor the delicious taste of a strawberry poptart again.

“Hey Sokka”, Zuko greets as he walks up to the register.

Sokka smiles back and casts Katara a glare, “I see you two have met”

Katara smiles, sickly sweet, “Yup, Zuko’s really nice”

There’s a hidden meaning in Katara’s words directed at him and he has no idea how she figured it out. He wasn’t that obvious, right?

Cleary he was.

“You know, from what Sokka says about you, you sound evil, but I have a sister so honestly I’m not surprised. You’re not too bad though”, Zuko grins.

Katara responds with a small  _ ‘hmph’  _ just as the bell on the front door chimes.

“Speaking of, there she is”, Zuko looks confused as a girl with short, dark-brown hair walks in, carrying boba from the other coffee shop from across the street. Sokka wrinkled his nose.

“This is Azula, my sister”, he says to the siblings then looking to his own, “What are you doing here?”

“I was around” she sighs, waving around the hand that held her sunglasses and looking bored, “I wanted to see the person at work you talk about all day, Zuzu”

Sokka bites his tongue to keep from smiling and watches as Zuko tries to push Azula out the door.

She sits on a table outside the window, sipping idly at her drink, and Zuko comes in, swallowing and giving a nervous laugh, “Sorry, she’s-”

“It’s cool, I get it,” he says with a tug at one of Katara’s hair loops.

Katara scoffs and picks up her backpack, slinging it over her shoulder and walking out, “Well, it’s almost rush-hour so I’ll leave now. Nice meeting you Zuko” she smiles and leaves.

“You too” Zuko calls after her.

“I heard there’s a tour group showing high schoolers the campus, so it’s going to be packed in here”

Zuko sighs, “I’ll get the iced coffees started”. Sokka laughs.

It’s only after the swell of sweaty teenagers ravaging the tables that Zuko realizes he should not have let Azula just walk out, Sokka realizes it too.

Azula and Katara are both sitting on a table outside, through the window, chatting, animatedly, to each other.

_ Oh no. _

Zuko’s wide-eyes don’t go unnoticed to Sokka and his face goes pale.

“They’re plotting” Zuko hisses, drying a mug with a towel.

Sokka nods confirmation, Katara may be a goody-two shoes, but she was still the mom-friend, and that meant she was always planning.

He didn’t know what it was, but it couldn’t be good. Not for him, at least.

Two weeks later, Sokka still doesn’t know how or when to ask Zuko. The best place would probably just be the cafe since they don’t really run into each other otherwise and it would be creepy to stalk him out after one of his classes.

The trash can by his desk was filled with scraps of paper with words scratched out so hard, you probably couldn’t even tell it was a paper in the end.

The biggest thought that plagued Sokka though, was the idea that Zuko wouldn’t say yes. Even worse, he’d say no and him asking would ruin everything.

The idea that Sokka couldn’t relax after class and unwind with the smell of cinnamon and the whirring of the coffee machine listening to Zuko trash talk about his professor and then taking his turn and telling jokes to make him smile made him dizzy.

Those really late nights where they’d have to stay late wiping down tables because some annoying kids had decided to spitball the walls and they were both stuck picking them off. 

The times they’d talk shit about the rude old lady who’d come in with a screaming child who was kicking at the tables and pushed over people’s waters.

It wasn’t something he’d realized before but it wasn’t just a happiness, it was a relief. A huge relief, because they could talk about anything and make it seem like it was important to the entire world. The superior flavor of ice cream for example, with evidence why. Sokka had actually done research that night to prove to Zuko that it was cookie dough

His eyes were a brilliant gold and he was smart and sarcastic when he wanted because he was a sassy little shit who loved to torment people.

It wasn’t just the awkwardness to come if Zuko said no, it was the fact that he’d lose the one place, the person, who made him feel like he was standing in the clouds in the middle of the lightning storm, but he was fine. He would be having the time of his life actually, the electricity would dance right over his fingertips, twirling and twisting.

Sokka didn’t know where all the sappy thoughts came from, this wasn’t some teen romance drama, but still.

Time flew by and then in the rush of tests and homework, Sokka realized there was only one more week till the dance.

He didn’t know what to do though. He really wanted to go with Zuko and he didn’t think he liked to give up easily, but at this point, the idea was almost scrapped completely. The only thing holding it together were the hopes for a miracle.

He really wanted to make it nice and special, not something he’d just thought of on the spot. He needed Zuko to love it but he just didn’t know how.

Maybe it was the overwhelming sense of ‘ _ this has to be perfect _ ’ that was holding him back.

They’d released the details for the dance, the email had been sent in the morning and it was all anyone could talk about. It made a sense of dread pool in Sokka’s stomach though, Zuko was probably already going with someone, it would be a miracle if he wasn’t.

The dance was a ‘mask-querade’ and you could wear anything you wanted, the school was going to provide simple masks at the dance but if you wanted your own you’d have to bring it yourself. 

Sokka was still going to the dance, he’d promised Katara and Aang. He was still dreading it.

The day before the dance came around and Sokka had been sulking the entire time. He barely even registered Katara spinning in her silky lavender dress in front of him. She’d borrowed it from a friend and all the enthusiasm he’d normally feel was overshadowed by the fact that he wasn’t going to the dance with Zuko.

It hadn’t worked out, he hadn’t asked, and when he’d brought it up Zuko had talked about it like he had a date so it was already no use.

Katara dropped in front of him in a hoodie, he hadn’t realized she’d changed. 

“You should’ve asked him”

Sokka’s eyes are hot, “I know”

She wrapped his arms around his shoulders as he cried.

It was stupid, all of it. Everything about this was stupid, he was dumb. It was a simple question but he’d blown it way out of proportion and it was way past too late.

Then it was time to get going, Aang had joined them and they’d all decided to walk to the dance hall. 

Aang had held hands with Katara and they’d smiled sappily at each other the entire time, it just made him feel more sick.

“Stop being all gloomy, the party will cheer you up”, Katara nudges at his shoulder.

Sokka severely doubts that but he nods.

He gets split up from the couple not even an hour into the flashing lights and blaring music, he ends up sitting at some table in a corner.

Aang finds him and slides into one of the many empty chairs surrounding him, he can’t bring himself to look up.

“Katara asked me to call you to dance”

“Tell her I’m not in the mood”

“She said if you said that, to drag you there”

Sokka looks at Aang with an unconvinced look and caves, “Fine”

Getting up, Aang takes his elbow and pulls him along while Sokka tries in vain to pull away.

Dragging his feet along and holding his red mask to his nose, Sokka takes in the smell of punch and deodorant.

Seeing Katara with her arms crossed over her chest and that look on her face made his back straighten a little.

Okay so Zuko wasn’t with him here, it’s fine. He still had his sister and best friend, he could still enjoy himself if he tried.

Katara just takes one look at him and rolls her eyes pointing to the doorway, Sokka doesn’t get it for a second but then Azula from the cafe, is pushing in a Zuko who’s hand loosely holds his mask and who looks very much like he does not want to be there.

Wrenching out of Aang’s grip, he goes up to Katara, eyes widening, “He probably already has a date, Katara, you can’t force people to do-”

Azula comes to Katara’s side with an annoyed expression, “He’s like a cat, i had to drag him here off the couch”

“Boys” Katara shakes his head with a sigh and Sokka doesn’t have it in him to feel offended, Aang doesn’t seem bothered either, he has a bright smile on his face and is practically bouncing up and down.

If there was one thing Sokka could have changed in the past it would have been ever telling her about the coffee shop, because this was embarrassing. It felt like his mother had forced him and another kid together to be friends because apparently she vaguely knew his mom.

Zuko looked awkward scratching the back of his head and shuffling his feet so as the other walked away, Sokka tried to make the tension less awkward, “Did you hear the boba place across the street added a new flavor? They’re stealing all our customers”

Zuko snorts and adds, “I’ll admit I’m thinking of switching sides, I stole a sip of Azula’s drink and it was absolutely delicious”

Now it’s Sokka’s turn to laugh, “This is  _ betrayal _ Zuko, you’re a traitor” he accuses.

“Not yet, I’m not. I said I was just thinking about it.”

Sokka wasn’t so sure why he had been so nervous, even if Zuko hadn’t come as his date, they were still friends. And great ones, at that. He could just enjoy this night as a friend.

Then one of Sokka’s favorite songs comes on and from the way Zuko’s eyes widen, he realizes it too. Music was one of the many things they’d spend afternoons, cleaning the windows, talking about.

“Um, I don’t know if you’d want to, but Azula was saying something like ‘stupid boys’ and ‘dumb feelings’ in the car on the way over here and her and Katara were talking a lot on the phone the other night, so I’m pretty sure they were talking about us and if you’d want, only if you do, otherwise-”

Sokka’s eyes lit up, never mind how Katara had made him wash the dishes last night, he loved her. 

Sokka silences Zuko’s rant and takes his wrist leading him to the dance floor, “I just realized how stupid I am” he mutters.

“Pfft, oh please, I realized in the car when I looked through Azula’s messages. We’re both awful at communication, we should have expected this.”

Sokka snickers before asking, “We played this song in the cafe that one night, right?”

“Mmhmm, it’s  _ The Night We Met _ , you told me about it”

“It’s a slow song,” Sokka says.

“Yeah”

“So just to confirm, you do like me like that?”

Zuko rolls his eyes, “I feel like I’m going to regret this in the near future, but yeah”

Sokka rests his head on Zuko’s shoulder, “We could’ve been doing this a month ago, if we weren’t so dumb”

“Sadly we are”

To say the night was a success was an understatement, it was incredible and a blast and there were at least 35 pictures on Aang’s phone to prove it.

God, next time he needed something maybe a good idea would be to just ask because as much as an angel Katara was, if something like this happened again and his sister had to rescue him again, he’d just disown her and go live on an abandoned island in the middle of the ocean.

**Author's Note:**

> jnrkjb i was thinking of that one scene from 13 reasons why for the dancing part and also hear me out, short-haired Azula, thats it, thats everything, just her.


End file.
